1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording tape cartridge which rotatably accommodates a single reel on which a recording tape, such as a magnetic tape or the like, is wound.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recording tapes, such as magnetic tapes and the like, are used as external recording media for computers and the like. A magnetic tape cartridge is used to accommodate a single reel on which is wound a magnetic tape which serves as a recording tape, and which requires little space for storage, and on which a large amount of information can be recorded.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a memory board 24 is built-into a rear surface 68A of a magnetic tape cartridge 68, which rear surface 68A is at the rear end side in the loading direction. The memory board 24 is for identification, at a drive device, of the recording capacity or the recording format or the like (hereinafter, the xe2x80x9cgenerationxe2x80x9d) of the magnetic tape cartridge 68, or is for the writing of respective information.
The memory board 24 is adhered to a supporting mount 70, which is formed at a corner portion and is inclined by 45xc2x0, such that reading and writing can be carried out at a reading device 62 and a reading/writing device 64 from the side of the rear surface 68A and from the side of a bottom surface 68B of the magnetic tape cartridge 68.
The reason why the memory board 24 is provided at an angle in this way is as follows. When the magnetic tape cartridge 68 is removed from an accommodating rack of a library 38 (see FIG. 3) and loaded into a drive device, the reading device 62, which is provided at a robot finger, is structured such that it can access the magnetic tape cartridge 68 accommodated in the accommodating rack from the rear surface side of the magnetic tape cartridge 68, or the reading/writing device 64, which is provided at the drive device, is disposed such that it can only access the magnetic tape cartridge 68 from the bottom surface side thereof due to structural constraints of the mechanism for fetching the magnetic tape cartridge 68.
However, in the aforementioned structure for mounting the memory board 24, the supporting mount 70, which is not essential to the basic functions of the magnetic tape cartridge 68, must be formed and the memory board 24 must be adhered and fixed thereto. Further, there is the concern that the supporting mount 70 will hinder the electromagnetic waves which are transmitted and received at the reading device 62 and the reading/writing device 64, and that errors in reading and writing will arise.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording tape cartridge in which a structure for mounting a memory board is simple, and in which it is unlikely for obstacles to electromagnetic waves to arise.
One aspect of the present invention is a recording tape cartridge, which is loaded into a drive device from a predetermined direction and used for at least one of recording and reading information, the recording tape cartridge comprising: a substantially rectangular case which rotatably accommodates a reel on which a recording tape is wound; an inclined wall formed at the case at a rear end side of the case in a direction of loading the case into the drive device, one surface of the inclined wall forming an outer surface of the case; and a memory which is mounted to another surface of the inclined wall, which another surface is at an inner surface side of the case, and which stores predetermined information, and at which at least one of recording of information and reading of information is possible from an exterior of the case.
In the above-described structure, the inclined wall is formed at the rear end side of the case in the direction of loading the case into a drive device. A non-contact-type memory, which stores generation information such as the storage capacity or the like, is mounted along the inner surface of the inclined wall. In this way, even if an inclined supporting mount or the like is not provided at the case, the memory is, as a matter of course, set at an incline. By setting the memory at an incline in this way, exchange of information can be carried out from the rear surface side and from the bottom surface side of the case.
Further, because there is no need for an inclined supporting mount or the like, the structure of the case is simple. Moreover, because there is no need for an unnecessary supporting mount or the like, it is unlikely for obstacles to electromagnetic waves to arise. In addition, because the generation information can be read and written in a non-contact manner, there is no need to provide a hole for identification as in the conventional art, and the strength of the case of the recording tape cartridge improves. Still further, because a connection terminal and the like are not exposed as in the case of a conventional contact-type memory, the external appearance of the recording tape cartridge is not adversely affected.